Cultural experience combines with balloon drop at kids’ early New Year’s Eve event

Children aged 10 and younger and their families enjoyed a start to the new year 36 hours early during an event Tuesday that added a cultural experience at the Ela Town Hall in Lake Zurich.

While the highlight of the event was a “Happy Noon Year” balloon drop, much of the focus was on a celebration of different cultures. Nine tables representing different countries included related craft projects and activities.

Countries represented included Italy, Japan, Ecuador, Scotland, Spain, Brazil, the Philippines, Germany and China.

“It’s just a little way to celebrate cultures and differences among people at a young age,” said Sara Marx, Ela Township director of health and wellness. “Each of these countries celebrates New Year’s in a different way, so we decided to touch upon that and do a craft project related to it.”

Marx said in the Philippines there is a focus on circles, (that symbolize wealth, prosperity and abundance) so from that table they did a scavenger hunt for circle objects, and after the kids found all the circles they received a piece of candy shaped like a hockey puck. When they arrived at the event, kids got a passport along with a party hat and a gift bag, so they had their passports stamped at each table after completing each activity.

Tim and Lisa Travess of Arlington Heights brought their grandsons, Lachlan Layman, 1-1/2, and Finnegan, 4, of Lake Zurich to the celebration and said the brothers enjoyed all the activities. The couple liked that the activities were interactive, though Lachlan’s focus may have been on other things.

“He likes the balloons and the music,” they said.